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Naturetrek organised everything very well. The holiday exceeded all expectations. We saw amazing natural history that I have only dreamed about. Dave Morris our tour guide went above and beyond to ensure that we were well looked after and was prepared to change the schedule depending on the weather. We visited a very wide range of natural history sites.
A.S. Powys
Tour Itinerary and Reports
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The Lakes & Fells - Wildlife of England's North-west
Tour Code: GBR39A 4-day holiday exploring the rich natural history of Morecambe Bay and the Lake District
4 days
from
£750 (land only)
£750 (land only)
Highlights
Tour Itinerary and Reports
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Summary
On this single-centre short break, we’ll explore Morecambe Bay’s mudflats and saltmarshes in search of breeding waders, gulls and wildfowl as well as flower-rich fens, reedbeds and lowland bogs in search of their specialist flora. Encircling the Bay is a band of limestone ‘pavement’ where a variety of orchids and other specialist flora such as Bird’s-eye Primrose, Rigid Buckler Fern and Lancaster Whitebeam can be found. The area is also well known for its butterflies and we will look for Pearl-bordered Fritillary and Northern Brown Argus amongst many other species. We will also explore the area’s woodland and scrub habitats in search of breeding migrant warblers, as well as look for wetland species such as Otter and Bearded Tit. Further inland, on the fells of Swindale in the Lake District, we will focus on looking for the special woodland birds and plants found at Haweswater. Here, as the sun sets, we will enjoy exclusive access to a Badger hide, offering an intimate opportunity to observe these elusive and shy mammals up close as they emerge for their nightly adventures.
- Breeding waders, wildfowl & gulls in Morecambe Bay, with a chance of Bittern & Bearded Tit
- Sundews & Bog Rosemary amongst specialist wetland flora
- Tree Pipit, Osprey & dragonflies in wetland habitats near Morecambe Bay
- Butterfly, Fly, Northern Marsh, Frog & Fragrant Orchids
- Duke of Burgundy, Large Heath & Pearl-bordered Fritillary, Dingy Skipper & Northern Brown Argus all possible
- Avocet, Snipe, Curlew & Oystercatcher among breeding waders
- Search for Dipper, Redstart, Pied Flycatcher, Marsh Tit & possibly Wood Warbler
- Exclusive use of the RSPB’s Badger Hide at Wild Haweswater
- Led by an expert naturalist guide
Grading
Grade A. Generally easy walks at a gentle pace, occasionally over some rougher terrain. We expect to cover around 2-6 miles of walking per day.
From the shores of Morecambe Bay to the moors of the Lakeland fells, this part of North West England is rich in wildlife and a joy for any visiting naturalist. An estuary of international importance, Morecambe Bay straddles the Lancashire and Cumbria border and is at the heart of this foray into North West England. The area is home to some of the UK’s most special areas, containing two areas of outstanding natural beauty (AONB’s) and the southern tip of the Lake District National Park.
Morecambe Bay’s vast mudflats, saltmarshes and dune systems hold breeding waders, terns, gulls and wildfowl and there is even the chance of a Natterjack Toad or breeding Osprey. These coastal habitats then blend into such diverse wetland habitats as flower-rich fens, reed bed and lowland bogs, where specialist species such as sundews, Bog Rosemary, Raft Spider, White-faced Darter, Tree Pipit and Nightjar may be found.
Encircling the Bay is a band of underlying carboniferous limestone that offers limestone pavement, floristically rich pastures and diverse woodlands. Greater and Lesser Butterfly, Fly, Northern Marsh, Frog, Fragrant, Dark Red Helleborine and the stunning Lady's Slipper Orchids are to be found here alongside other limestone flora such as Bird's-eye Primrose, Rigid Buckler Fern and the local Lancaster Whitebeam. The area is also well known for its butterflies and, weather permitting, we have a good chance of a late Duke of Burgundy, Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary, Northern Brown Argus, Large Heath, Dark Green Fritillary and possibly an early High Brown Fritillary.
Moving a little further inland we encounter the classic mountainous fells of the Eastern Lake District around the RSPB’s Haweswater nature reserve. In the diverse woodlands and scrub a good range of breeding migrant warblers may be found, too, along with local specialties such as Marsh Tit and Hawfinch. The edge of the High Fells is home to important populations of breeding waders, with Snipe, Redshank, Lapwing, Curlew and Oystercatcher abundant in the northern pastures and meadows. In the open country we have a chance of a breeding Merlin, Peregrine and Short-eared Owl.... while, in the wooded Naddle valley at Haweswater, we will look for Red Squirrel, Redstarts, Pied Flycatchers and the occasional Wood Warbler may be found, together with Dipper in the uplands streams. This evening we will take dinner at a nearby pub before a visit to a Badger hide after the sun has set.
Over the four days we’ll visit some of the key habitats and wildlife reserves that this beautiful area has to offer. We’ll set off at around 9am from the hotel, returning in time for dinner in the evening (with the exception of Day 3). Each day we’ll stop at local pubs or cafes for lunch and comfort breaks, but we’ll keep the exact programme flexible in order to make the best use of our time and the weather. All of the areas that we intend to visit are within easy driving distance of each other and our hotel.
Outline Itinerary
Day 1
Meet in Grange-over-Sands around lunchtime
Day 2/3
Excursions from Grange-over-Sands
Day 4
Return to Grange-over-Sands after lunch, depart
What's Included?
- Accommodation:
Comfortable hotel in Grange-over-Sands; all rooms have private facilities.
- Food:
Breakfast and evening meals are included in the price of the tour.
Reviews
Dates & Prices
2025
Departures
Availability
Cost
Fri 6th Jun – Mon 9th Jun
SPACES
£750
Land only cost:
The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.
£750
Single Room Supplement:
Single Room Supplement.
£180
Tour Leader:
Please note that, whilst we assign leaders to particular tours well in advance, we reserve the right to make changes if necessary
Caroline Godden
Tour Leader: Caroline Godden
Caroline has been a keen naturalist for over 15 years, with wide-ranging interests that include butterflies, moths, birds and vascular plants. Her ever-growing passion for nature resulted in a career change, having worked as an ecologist since 2020 and now specialising in freshwater ecology. Caroline has also travelled widely within the UK, Europe and North America to see a wide range of special places and wildlife – her highlight to date was watching a Great Grey Owl hunting just metres away. Caroline can usually be found out and about enjoying the local wildlife around Morecambe Bay where she lives with her husband and pet guinea pigs, and also organises and leads wildlife events for a wide range of audiences. She is especially passionate about proving that not all moths are brown and boring!
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[description] => Botanical Tours – See Wild Flowers with our Expert Botanical Guides
There are few more pleasing sights in the natural world than a meadow filled with wildflowers. Seeing plants in their native habitat is always exciting and our flower tours offer you an incredible choice, from dazzling tropical blooms and the thrill of finding elusive orchids or delicate alpines, to seeing island endemics or British flora. Our tours range from week-long holidays focusing on the ‘Alpine flowers of the Swiss Alps’, the ‘Italian Dolomites’ and the ‘Alpine Flowers of Slovenia’s Julian Alps’, to orchid-hunting on Italy’s Gargano Peninsula and searching for the Autumn Plants of Greece’s Peloponnese. We also visit more remote areas of the world in search of plant-life, from the Tien Shan Mountains of Kazakhstan where we look for wild tulips, to the rainforests and spiny deserts of Madagascar where over 80% of the flora is endemic.
Many of us want to know more about the plants we see around us. Whether inspired by an appreciation of the aesthetic appeal of flowers, or a more focused desire to identify individual species, everyone with an interest in botany will derive pleasure from joining one of Naturetrek’s flower tours.
Why choose Naturetrek’s botanical holidays?
- All our botanical holidays are led by expert botanist guides
- All levels of interest and expertise are catered for, from hobby gardeners and complete beginners to keen botanists who wish to explore a new area with the help of a knowledgeable leader
- We keep the overall focus on flora, though expert guidance is also given on other wildlife
What can I expect on a typical Naturetrek botanical holiday?
- Travel with a group of like-minded people
- Stay at a comfortable hotel or lodge, close to an area of outstanding botanical interest
- Enjoy a series of leisurely day excursions with ample time to appreciate the local flora
In addition to our dedicated flower tours, we also offer holidays with a wider theme to encompass birds, butterflies and other aspects of natural history as well as the flora. Our spring tours to 'Crete' and ‘The Island of Cyprus’ are both timed to allow us to enjoy the botanical highlights as well as the spring bird migration, whilst ‘Croatia and Slovenia – Spring in Istria’ also allows time to enjoy a little of the local culture. ‘Romania – the Wildlife of Transylvania’ combines an appreciation of the flora of the Carpathian Mountains with birding, butterflying and a trip to look for Brown Bears from a purpose built hide, and our holidays in both the ‘French Pyrenees’ and the ‘Spanish Pyrenees’ combine birds, butterflies and botany throughout the week.
Our specialist recommends...
"I'd recommend 'Wengen – Alpine Flowers of the Swiss Alps', 'Crete' and 'The French Pyrenees', which all offer some fascinating European botany, along with plenty of wider natural history and some stunning scenery. If you’re keen to travel a little further afield, I’d suggest joining us in South Africa for our 'Wild Flowers of the Cape & Namaqualand' tour”
David Tattersfield - Tour Leader
David Tattersfield - Tour Leader
Short Break Wildlife Holidays
Among our programme is a significant range of short breaks, designed specially for those wishing to enjoy some of Europe’s top natural history highlights at the best time of year. All of these holidays have the bonus of being short-haul and supported by like-minded wildlife enthusiasts.
Naturetrek Short Break Wildlife Tours
Short breaks are becoming increasingly popular and in response to the high demand for this type of holiday we are continuing to increase our programme both within the UK and abroad. Most of our short breaks are within Europe, for convenience of travel.
For some of our mini-breaks there is an option to travel by plane or train, and we offer a choice of duration and type of break, from a weekend’s birdwatching in the Somerset Levels to a 6-day whale watching tour in the Azores.
A selection of our UK short breaks:
- A winter bird watching break in Norfolk
- An autumn holiday to enjoy the Red Deer rut in Ardnamurchan, Scotland
- A wildlife weekend in the New Forest
A selection of our overseas short breaks:
- In Spain we look for the world’s rarest cat, the Iberian Lynx
- Wolves on the plains in rural northern Spain
- An exploration of La Brenne’s exceptionally rich butterfly-life in northern France
Our specialist recommends...
"We offer two superb short breaks to the lovely island of Madeira in search of whales, dolphins and seabirds. It’s hard to beat our Just Brown Bears trip for families, while if you fancy something off the beaten track, try Estonia in Early Spring for some excellent spring birdwatching."
Paul Stanbury - Operations Manager
Birding Tours Led by Expert Naturalists
The majority of our wildlife tours focus primarily on birds, allowing us to offer a huge choice of bird holidays. On most of our birdwatching tours we aim to see a wide variety of species, while taking time to enjoy other wildlife as well as cultural highlights and architecture.
Naturetrek Birdwatching Tours
We have one of the largest selections of professionally organised, small group birdwatching holidays around the world and all of our birdwatching tours are accompanied by at least one professional ornithologist leader with detailed knowledge of the area.
The majority of our bird tours have a relaxed, flexible approach which allows more time for photography, detailed wildlife exploration, leisure time and the region’s people, culture, history and architecture, while allowing the group to see a wide range of bird species.
Here is a small selection of our many bird holidays:
- Southern Morocco – an exploration of the birdlife in Morocco’s southern deserts, oases and mountains
- The Camargue in Spring – a short break to enjoy the spring birds of the Rhône Delta and Camargue wetland
- Wallcreepers & Cranes in Northern Spain – a 2-centre holiday focusing on Lammergeier, Wallcreepers, raptors, Cranes, bustards, sandgrouse and more!
- Madeira & Desertas Islands – A Seabird Extravaganza! – a short break focusing on special breeding seabirds, including a night on the remote Destertas Islands
- Peru – Macaws & Machu Picchu – searches for boobies, macaws and Inca Terns
- Spain & Morocco: Birding on Two Continents! – watch the spectacular spring bird migration from both sides of the Straits of Gibraltar
Our Bargain Birdwatching Selection
Our Bargain Bird Tours are intensive birdwatching holidays suitable for the serious birder. They are led by expert English-speaking local guides (and not accompanied from the UK by a tour leader). You can expect a higher-paced tour and to spend long hours in the field.
Our specialist recommends...
"Try Coto Doñana & Extremadura for an excellent introduction to Europe's wetland and steppe birds. I would recommend our bargain holiday, 'Nepal – A Birdwatching Tour' for those interested in Siberian rarities and Ibisbill, while Costa Rica offers a chance to search for arguably the world's most beautiful bird, the Resplendent Quetzal."
Byron Palacios - Tour Leader
Byron Palacios - Tour Leader
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Flight-free Wildlife Holidays
At Naturetrek we make full use of the Eurostar rail service through the channel tunnel, and of the ferry routes between England’s south coast and France and Spain, to offer a range of ‘flightless’ wildlife holidays in Belgium, Holland, France and Spain. In addition, we also offer the widest selection of wildlife holidays within the UK, none of which require a flight to participate in. Therefore, if you prefer not to fly, for whatever reason, we have a range of varied and exciting wildlife holidays for you to choose from, and we are committed to regularly adding more.
It is also the case that many of our other holidays within Europe are also accessible by rail. Generally, where there’s a will, there’s a way, and we’d be pleased to offer advice to anybody who wishes to join any of our tours within Europe by a means other than flying!
Our specialist recommends...
"Our Picos & Plains tour offers an environmentally-friendly route down to Spain for some excellent birding and cetacean-watching. More broadly, we’re very keen for Naturetrek to offer the most dynamic, market-leading carbon-reduced holidays available, and we hope you enjoy browsing our list of no-flight wildlife holidays!”
Kerrie Porteous - Operations Manager
Kerrie Porteous - Operations Manager
Prefer to Travel in a Private Group?
For any interested natural history club or society, we can arrange for a private departure of this tour.
Enquire
Why Naturetrek?
At Naturetrek we craft expertly-guided group and tailor-made wildlife holidays and cruises to all seven continents. On one of our holidays, you can be assured that our passionate team will enable you to experience and enjoy the best of the world's wildlife and natural spectacles in as comfortable and rewarding a manner as possible, caring as best we can for the environment in the process. We are proud to provide:
- The widest choice of wildlife holidays worldwide
- Tours managed and led by naturalists, for naturalists
- Outstanding value and exceptional customer service
Furthermore, as a Naturetrek client, our office team are always to on hand to help you – so if you have any queries about your holiday, whether before or after you have booked, we will be delighted to answer them on the phone. Please just give our team a call!
